


The Second Chance

by InPrisonForSparkling



Series: The Second Chance [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alexis | Quackity-centric, Bad is Sapnap's 9'6 dad and i want to see this more, DadSchlatt, Dreamons, Duck Hybrid Alexis | Quackity, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fix-It, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Toby Smith | Tubbo, M/M, Multiple Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Technoblade Has ADHD (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo Has Horns, Winged Alexis | Quackity, comment if you want more lmao, honestly, it means so much you don't even know, me 0.2 seconds after updating: välidáshüñ?, please comment!! i love getting them and they help my motivation a lot :D, thank you all so much for all the support!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28895523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InPrisonForSparkling/pseuds/InPrisonForSparkling
Summary: Quackity opened his eyes slowly, wincing, as there was still a slight ache coming from where the Blade had hit him with that pickaxe.This wasn't L'Manburg.This wasn't even the Dream SMP.(Or, the Dream SMP members are taken to an entirely new world. They're still scarred, mentally and physically, but maybe they'll be able to make something better.)
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot/Sally the Salmon, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch, i'm serious about that and i am so sorry for that fact
Series: The Second Chance [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153100
Comments: 146
Kudos: 512





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i spent so long on that drawing you have no idea

Quackity opened his eyes slowly, wincing, as there was still a slight ache coming from where the Blade had hit him with that pickaxe.

He shot upright, eyes wide.

This wasn't L'Manburg.

This wasn't even the Dream SMP.

Quickly, he checked the member list- to see if anyone else was here with him- and sure enough, he recognized all of the names that popped up in front of him.

There was one noticably missing name, though. Dream. A little worrying, but not important right now.

Quackity noticed he was shaking. Was it from relief? Adrenaline? He didn't know. Maybe both.

With a start, Quackity realized he didn't even _want_ to go back to the SMP. Yeah, he'd lived there for years, fought wars and killed and died there, put his heart and his soul into making it the best he could, but he _didn't want to go back_. Not in the slightest. Because that godsforsaken realm was where his heart was torn, ripped, broken in every way possible.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

Quackity flinched at the sudden sound, but recognized the voice. _Fundy._

Warily, he stood up and turned around. "...Fundy?"

Fundy jumped slightly (apparently Quackity wasn't the only one scared by loud noises. That was strangely comforting, if he was honest with himself). "Oh! Quackity!" He ran up to where Quackity was standing, barely concealed relief all over his face. "I thought I might be alone..."

Quackity let out a breathy, nervous laugh. "Holy shit, yeah, that- that would've been terrifying."

"Fundy...?"

Another voice, still familiar, but... didn't Ghostbur have an echo to his voice?

Quackity turned around, and drew in a sharp breath as he registered what was in front of him.

Wilbur was standing there, singed trenchcoat pulled on over a torn and ripped revolutionary uniform. He had a scar across his chest, still, and his eyes were more gray than Quackity remembered, but it was Wilbur. The president. The twice-leader of revolutions.

"Fundy, I..." Wilbur's voice was dry, torn at the edges, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. His eyes filled with unnaturally blue tears. "I'm so fucking sorry."

Fundy seemed frozen in place. Eventually, as if he couldn't quite believe it, he whispered, "Dad?"

* * *

After a rather tearful reunion that Quackity had averted his eyes from- it seemed wrong to just _watch_ \- the three decided to look for the others.

Wilbur seemed to remember everything, including his time in Pogtopia and as Ghostbur. He regretted blowing up L'Manburg, he admitted, but it was done (and it didn't really matter, besides. Technoblade and Dream had done far worse to the once-country than Wilbur).

Quackity held out a hand to stop the group from advancing. He'd heard some frantic muttering that sounded suspiciously like Tommy.

"Hey, Tommy?" he called out. The muttering abruptly stopped.

Tommy ran out from behind some trees, hands shaking as he brandished a wooden axe. "Who's there?! I warn you, I'm-" His voice trailed off as he realized who stood in front of him. "...armed?

Wilbur smiled awkwardly and waved. "...hey, Tommy."


	2. Chapter 2

"You're all stupid. Honestly. Why do I even hang around you all-"

Quackity groaned internally. Tommy had been ranting non-stop since they'd started travelling again. Wilbur, of all people, seemed rather used to it, but Quackity was seriously considering flying away.

Though, he hadn't used his wings since the Manburg festival. They'd been damaged in the fireworks, and he hadn't even tried to open them since. And besides- how _stupid_ was it to be a duck hybrid, of all things? The others would probably laugh at him.

"Hey. Hey Q. Quack. Big Q. Duck man." Tommy was very obviously trying to get his attention.

Quackity glanced at him. "What is it?"

Tommy paused. He didn't seem to have expected an answer. "Well, I..." He fiddled with the chain of his necklace. "Wilbur and Fundy are busy talking to each other, so I thought I'd ask you."

Quackity had expected an insult or joke, but he was paying attention now. "What'd you want to ask, Tommy?"

Tommy's voice was quiet, almost a little scared. "Where are we? Where's... _Dream_?"

"I... uh..." Quackity wasn't entirely sure what to say. "Well, Dream's not here, okay? So that means he's probably still in the prison."

Tommy nodded, seeming a little comforted by that.

Quackity shrugged. "As for where we are, I have no fuckin' idea."

Suddenly, there was a distant scream.

Tommy shot up, eyes wild and angry. " _Tubbo-_ "

"Oh, _shit,_ " Quackity muttered. Tommy had already started running towards the source of the scream. "Wilbur! Fundy! Get your asses over here!"

When he didn't hear a reply, he turned around to call them again, but the two were already running.

* * *

When they finally found Tubbo, the teen was trying his best to fend off a horde of zombies. Quackity pulled Tubbo out of harm's way as Wilbur, Fundy and Tommy ran to attack the undead monsters.

"Quackity?!" Tubbo gasped. He glanced towards the ongoing battle. "Is- Is that _Wilbur_?"

Quackity nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what happened to him, exactly, but he seems to remember everything-"

Quackity was cut off by a pained cry from Wilbur. He'd been shot by a skeleton's arrow, right in the shoulder.

"Wha- is his blood blue?!" Tubbo asked incredulously. "What the hell!"

Fundy rushed over to his father, hitting the skeleton with his axe. "Dad, are you okay?"

Wilbur nodded, stabbing the last zombie. "I'm fine." He walked over to Tubbo. "You okay, Tubbo?"

"I... well, I could be better, obviously-" Tubbo chuckled nervously, gesturing to his multiple wounds- "but mostly I'm fine!"

Tommy ran over, engulfing his friend in a hug. "Tubbo, oh my _god_ , thank fuck you're okay!"

Tubbo laughed. "Tommy!"

Quackity shook his head. "There're gonna be a lot of these tearful reunions, aren't there?"

Fundy shrugged, half-smiling. "Probably."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i lied this fic is only somewhat quackity centric. fuck you /lh  
> also i'm kinda doubting if this chapter is any good sgdhfydjgd,, i get like this whenever a fic of mine gets a lot of attention lmao  
> also!! i hc that Phil's wings were tied/locked down by Dream, so he wouldn't have an "unfair advantage" or whatever. this didn't happen to Quackity because, even before his wings were damaged, he didn't like to show them due to fear of being ridiculed.

Ranboo didn't know where he was.

There _was_ the possibility that he'd just forgotten, but somehow that didn't seem right. This didn't seem like the SMP at all.

He was relieved.

Should he be relieved? Was it some sort of betrayal if he was relieved? He hoped not. He was pretty damn sick of betrayal.

* * *

Technoblade was, if he was honest, a little bit scared.

This wasn't the SMP, he'd figured that out soon enough. That meant safety.

But safety was an illusion. "Safety" often just meant danger.

Techno had nothing here. No armor, no weapons, no food, nothing. Sure, he could probably get those things with some grinding, but in the meantime he was vunerable. Exposed.

When he'd first come to the Dream SMP, he'd actually been relatively sheltered. Shrouded in anonymity.

But Techno had no way of knowing how long the others had been here, how much they'd accompliished so far, and after what he and Dream did to L'Manburg? He wasn't exactly popular. So, until he managed to make some passable gear and gather some materials, he was essentially a sitting duck.

If anyone found him, Techno was royally fucked.

* * *

Eret took her sunglasses off with a sigh.

He looked around the area, pupiless eyes searching for any sign of life. This was a plains biome, plenty of trees and animals if Eret needed more supplies, but right now their priority was finding other people.

He knew there were others; he'd checked fairly quickly after waking up. Unfortunately, the spawn seemed to have been messed up somewhat, as Eret hadn't woken up near anyone. She would have known by now if she had.

So on they walked, calling out every so often. Hopefully he'd find someone soon.

* * *

Quackity was getting tired of walking.

Tubbo and Tommy were insisting that they find all the others, for some reason Quackity couldn't quite fathom, and they hadn't found anyone since Tubbo.

Tubbo had been walking with them for about two days.

"You okay, Q?"

Quackity jumped. He hadn't noticed Fundy walking beside him.

"Uh, yeah," Quackity said, laughing nervously. "Just kinda tired of walking."

Fundy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yep. I mean, I love those kids, but they can be pretty annoying."

Quackity snorted. "'Those kids'? You sound like an old, angry man with a perfect lawn."

Fundy stifled a snort, and smacked Quackity on the arm playfully. "Shut up."

* * *

Phil's eyes widened as he flexed his wings for the first time in what felt like years.

He was free.

He was out of that godsforsaken server. He was free.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FUCK c!Dream all my homies hate c!Dream  
> listen idk if Quackity not knowing how to fly works with what i wrote before but there is A Scene that i want to write and if i have to be inconsistent to write it I Will Be Inconsistent  
> also i have ADHD, so i guess i tried to write Techno's uhh, going nonverbal i guess-?? as best i could from my experiences lmao.

For what felt like the thousanth time, Dream stared at the unfamiliar message in the chat.

_Everyone left the game_

* * *

Quackity wondered, briefly, if this was what it was like on a roadtrip.

There was an extremely loud, excitable, bastard child yelling profanities at everyone, the other child was "trying" to get him to calm down (but was very obviously amused at the others' expenses), a resurrected man who was doing nothing to stop the chaos, and a furry who seemed just as annoyed by all the noise.

Quackity, for the second time in a day, was considering flying away with the (probably damaged) wings that he didn't even know how to use.

Yeah, that's right, he didn't even know how to flap his embarrassingly yellow wings right. Fucking useless.

"Hey, I think I see someone!" Wilbur called out, pointing in the direction of a reasonably human-shaped pile of clothes and...

...long, braided pink hair.

Quackity groaned. Fucking _Techno_.

Tommy cheered. "Techno! Fuck yeah!" Then he paused. "Wait, no. Techno can go fuck himself. I don't like him."

Wilbur sighed. "Listen, Tommy, surely you can see his reasoning?"

Tommy stared at his feet for a moment. "I guess I can, yeah."

"And besides, Tommy-" Wilbur smiled- "this is a whole new world! I know there've been betrayals, wars, but that's from the past. From a different place." His expression turned serious, then, and slightly distant. "And I think if we have this chance, the chance to make a better world... then we should use it. The past is the past, Tommy, and this is a new future. Some bridges were burned, but I hope- and sincerely believe- that they can be mended."

Quackity felt a slight urge to clap. Wilbur had always been good at speeches.

When Quackity glanced over at him, Tommy's eyes were full of a wonder that Quackity hadn't seen in a long time. Hadn't seen since Tommy first joined the SMP.

It was a while before Tommy spoke. "...You're right, Wilbur. Let's see if we can do a little better this time around."

* * *

Techno appeared to have passed out on the ground next to a strip mine, pickaxe in hand. Probably tired himself out.

Tommy poked him, which caused Techno to open his eyes and scream immediately.

"Hey, what the fuck, man?!" Tommy asked incredulously. "Why are you that fucking loud?"

Techno didn't answer, his eyes darting around like he was a frightened rabbit.

"Techno?" Wilbur said softly, reaching out for the crowned man's hand. "Techno, calm down, we're not going to hurt you."

Techno let out a sort of whimper, stamping his foot on the ground and squeezing his eyes shut.

Wilbur motioned for the others to step back. "He's stressed and probably scared, just... you guys leave him alone for a bit, will you?"

Quackity nodded, pulling Tommy, Tubbo and Fundy away with him. He couldn't hear what Wilbur was saying to Techno, but it appeared to calm him somewhat. Techno had started replying to Wilbur as well, which Quackity hoped was a good sign.

Wilbur called out to them, "It's okay, you can come back over now!"

Tommy got to Techno first, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry for getting all shouty like that, big man, I got a bit carried away."

Techno waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. I do scream prety loudly."

Tubbo stifled a giggle.

Techno leveled eyes with Tommy. "Now, what you did to me with L'Manburg hurt a lot, I'll admit. But like Wilbur told me, different server, different times, and... well, I'd sure as hell love to be brothers again."

Quackity didn't remember ever seeing Tommy cry before.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fuck canon, if i say SBI are a family they're a family  
> you may have noticed that the tags have changed somewhat!! that's because i have had Ideas for the plot, and after i've got the current cast in a big group, they should come into play :D  
> also!! we passed 1400 hits and 190 kudos, which is incredible and i'm still slightly in shock that my block men fanfic has gotten this much attention, so thank you all!! <333

Quackity could've sworn Techno was staring straight at him when he said "We should find Phil."

Quackity had always suspected Techno knew more about most people than he let on, and this seemed to prove that theory somewhat, because- to Quackity's knowledge- Phil was the only other person with wings on the SMP.

Which meant he knew how to fly.

Which meant he could teach Quackity how to fly.

Oh, Ender, Quackity wanted to fly.

Purposefully avoiding Techno's gaze, he muttered, "Yeah, why not."

The others didn't seem unopposed to the idea, so the journey began.

* * *

They'd been walking for a couple of hours, when Wilbur suddenly shouted, "Up there!"

Quackity glanced up, and sure enough, Phil was circling them in the sky.

Despite himself, he felt a small surge of hope. Phil was _flying_ , he really could fly!

Then again, it was possible and quite likely that Phil wouldn't want to teach him. So.

"Hey, Dad!" Tommy shouted. "Old man Philza! We're down here!"

Phil laughed, gliding down towards the ground. "I know, Tommy!" When he landed, he dusted himself off and looked around at the group. "I see that most of my family is here, which is rather a surprise, since one of you is supposed to be dead and the other two hate each other somewhat."

Wilbur waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, we're over that now."

"Including the dead thing?"

"Including the dead thing."

* * *

"Why?"

Dream had taken to thinking aloud lately. It wasn't as if anyone would hear him.

Dream put his head in his hands. "Why did they all leave?"

_Well..._

...The voice was back. Of course the voice was back, it always came back.

_You know why._

"I really don't," Dream muttered.

 _But you do! You know what you did, Dream._ Like always, the voice sounded like him. _You pushed them away. Eventually, you betrayed them all, you hurt them in a million different ways!_

"I didn't, I didn't do that!"

_You did, though._

"How would you even know?!"

_Well... I'm **you** , Dream._

* * *

Eret pulled their cloak tighter around their shoulders.

It had been a couple of days, and she'd found no one. The nights were cold and dangerous, without a bed- he hadn't found any sheep, either- and the days were lonely and silent.

How far was she from anyone else? How far would they need to travel to find other people?

Eret sighed, shivering slightly. Tomorrow, maybe, he'd find someone.

* * *

After some brief explanations, Phil seemed very happy to join the party.

Quackity was still surprised that Tommy, Wilbur, and _Techno_ were all his sons.

Fundy seemed to have been aware of it, which made sense, considering he was Wilbur's son, but even _Tubbo_ had known. Quackity felt a bit out of the loop.

"So, Quackity."

Quackity yelped. He hadn't noticed Phil was walking beside him.

"Oh," Phil chuckled. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Nah, it's fine," Quackity said. "Anyway, what is it?"

"Well, forgive me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you have wings."

"What?! I- how did you know?" Quackity asked incredulously.

Phil gestured to Quackity's back. "I mean, there are wing-shaped lumps there, and it's also a little bit in the way you stand, I guess."

"Oh." Quackity paused for a moment. "Yeah, I have wings. They're-" he took in a deep breath- "duck wings. Stupid, I know. It's why I didn't tell anyone."

"Well, I don't think they're stupid. I doubt anyone else would, either," Phil told him, smiling gently. "We"re the only two here with wings. I think that's enough to be cool."

Quackity laughed a little at that. "Phil, they're _bright yellow_."

"Even cooler!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> writing the Dream scenes is really fun okay dont @ me  
> according to ao3 statistics only like 76 of you are subscribed. i say "only" but holy SHIT is that a large numbr thank you all so much <33

"No. No, you're not me, you can't be me." Dream knew he was getting more panicked with each word, each breath, but he couldn't help it. Ender, since when was an admin helpless?

_Probably since said admin lost all of his other players._

"Shut _up_ ," Dream groaned, hating how small and weak his voice sounded as he curled farther into himself.

The voice chuckled. _Aww, is little Dreamie scared of a voice in his head? How **sad**._

Dream stifled a whimper. He was being _stupid, a good-for-nothing piece of shit, all you ever do is hurt people-_

"Get out of my head!" Dream shouted, standing up suddenly, eyes wild and angry underneath his mask. "Stop fucking taunting me!"

There was a blurry outline now, a version of himself that was slighly see-through. It had a black mask, with a blood red, dripping smiley face drawn onto it.

The voice chuckled again, its translucent form shaking with the action. _Oh, Dream. You're so naive, I can't just leave, I'm a part of you!_

"That- that's a lie, you're _lying_! I would never... no real part of me would do that to Tommy."

The not-Dream shrugged. _Wouldn't you?_

* * *

"Quackity, have you never flown in your life?" Phil asked. He didn't seem angry; if anything, he was just confused.

Phil had been attempting to teach Quackity how to fly for the last hour, though they hadn't gotten far yet. Quackity didn't even know how to hold his wings right.

The damage from the explosions did not help.

"No, Phil, I have never flown in my life," Quackity sighed. He unfolded one of his stupidly yellow, singed, useless wings. "I wouldn't need your help if I had."

"Wait, what the fuck?!" Phil burst out suddenly. He ran over to examine Quackity's wings. "What happened to your wings?"

"Uh... when Schlatt executed Tubbo, I was caught in the- the crossfire," Quackity admitted, staring at the ground. "I haven't really opened them since."

"You- you _what_!?" Phil seemed... not angry, exactly, more loudly concerned. "I- you're lucky they even still work! Q, oh my _gods_..."

* * *

Bad sat up slowly. He had the _worst_ headache, and there were red spots in his vision-

Wait. Red. The Egg.

"Skeppy," Bad murmured. He glanced down at his hands.

The color had come back to him, finally. He breathed a soft sigh of relief, looking around.

Skeppy was sitting up, rubbing his head, his outfit and eyes and the gems in his skin completely and beuatifully _blue_.

Bad ran over and pulled Skeppy into a hug. "Skeppy, you muffinhead, I missed you!"

Skeppy laughed, hugging Bad as well. "I missed you too, Bad."

* * *

Wilbur sighed as he walked, hands in his pockets. Breath in his lungs and ground beneath his feet still felt somewhat alien after his time as Ghostbur, and they were a welcome novelty.

Techno, Tommy, Fundy and Tubbo had begun to make a house, while Phil and Quackity trained with flying, and Wilbur had been given the position of scout. He was to, well, scout out the area, and to bring home any people he encountered on his way.

Speaking of.

There were only two people Wilbur knew of who regularly wore a crown and cloak, one of which was currently building a house, so this had to be...

"Eret," Wilbur said, almost to himself.

Eret turned around, their cloak billowing out behind them. "...Wilbur?"

Wilbur half-smiled. "It's me."

"You... you're alive? You found me?"

"I think 'apparently' answers both of those questions.

Eret let out a breathy laugh. "Thank fucking Ender I'm not alone, holy _shit_." Eret tilted his head slightly. "One more question, though, Wilbur- are you wandering alone or with others?"

Wilbur smirked. "Well, right now I'm alone."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> like 42 of the bookmarks on this are private what do you all have to hide  
> ANYWAY we passed 2000 hits and 250 kudos which is???? wh?? why do you all like this shit im

Eret stared in wonder at the house that Tommy, Tubbo, Techno and Fundy had built. She was actually quite surprised they'd managed to coordinate the construction so well; Tommy usually wasn't one for plans. Or working with others.

He turned to Wilbur. "Where are the others? Phil and... Quackity, I think?"

"Oh! Yeah, Phil's teaching Quackity to fly." Wilbur shrugged. "Turns out Big Q's a duck hybrid. I'm not entirely sure how he kept it secret from Dream."

Eret nodded slowly. "I see." They glanced up as they heard a monotone voice calling out.

Technoblade. Of course.

"Eret," Technoblade said, his expression- from what Eret could see under the mask that the long- haired man in front of him wore- slightly surprised. "Fancy seeing you here."

"And you, Technoblade," Eret replied, bowing.

Technoblade snorted. "Call me Techno. The whole thing is way too long."

"It's- it's literally one more syllable."

"Nah. Still too long."

Eret stifled a laugh. "Whatever you say."

* * *

"Phil, I- that's how flying feels?" Quackity asked, though he knew the answer. Despite his... multiple challenges, he had managed to fly, even if only for a moment.

It had felt _incredible_.

Phil laughed. "Indeed it is!"

"It's... incredible," Quackity breathed. He was silent for a moment, folding a wing out to stare at it. "I really want to do it again."

Phil shrugged, smiling. "Well, you can. I'll be here if you need any more help."

Quackity snorted. "I don't know if you saw me, but I will _definitely_ need more help."

Phil laughed again- that was something Quackity rather liked about him. Phil was fatherly, good-natured. He was always laughing, and never _at_ anyone; usually with them, his laugh was infectious- and put a hand on Quackity's shoulder. "True. But for now, I'd suggest you practice on your own, you've got the basics down."

Quackity nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. Thank you so much, Phil."

"No problem, Q. I'm always here to help." Phil smiled at him once again, then turned to the house the others had been building. "Now! From the sounds of things, someone new's arrived, so let's go see them, shall we?"

* * *

Dream had given up on pacing his cell about seven hours ago.

The voice had left, thank Ender, but that meant he was alone.

So he sat, counting the minutes, sitting in the corner.

Suddenly, Dream felt a creeping sense of dread, anger, confusion. Emotions that weren't his.

"The voice," Dream whispered to himself. "The voice's emotions."

_Dream._ The voice was back; its tone only confirmed Dream's theory. It was even, controlled, but he could hear- and feel- a note of panic underneath. _What did you do to my- to **the** vines?_

Dream shrugged. "I didn't do anything." It was the truth. Dream had nothing to do with the vines; in fact, he only barely knew they existed.

Things were blurry after Wilbur declared independance.

The voice growled. _Then why are the vines **rotting**?! Why is the Egg falling apart?_

Dream raised an eyebrow. "...Probably because the people fueling it left the server?"

The voice materialized again, its mask a stark contrast to his own. It facepalmed, a low, nearly imperceptible snarl coming from its flickering form. _Of course. Of course! You're useless. This whole damn server is **useless**._

Dream smiled weakly. "If it's you I'm useless to, that's a compliment."

He'd only somewhat expected the pain that spread, then, through his chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw for some pretty graphic description of death and blood! i'll put *** at the beginning and end of it. stay safe, i love you all  
> also,, if you wanna send anything you made based off of this to me,,,, my tumblr @ is inprisonforsparkling

***

Dream coughed in surprise, and a little spatter of blood landed on the cold floor of his cell.

The voice laughed. _Last life, huh, Dream?_

Dream shrugged, and the action hurt so, so much, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "You'll be powerless without me there to drain."

It didn't seem happy about that.

_Goodbye, Dream. Please have the worst afterlife possible._

The voice disappeared, and Dream's head was suddenly so much clearer, but holy _fuck_ did everything hurt.

There was a perfect red X cut across his body. From his face to his thighs, there was blood, pain- why couldn't the fucking voice have chosen something faster?!

Dream didn't want to die. He didn't know what would happen. But now, he would have given anything for it to be over.

***

Through his tears, Dream was able to make out a few new words in chat.

_Dream was slaughtered by a Dreamon_

And then everything went black.

* * *

Tommy's legs were shaking. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He felt like throwing up or screaming. Maybe both.

He stared at the message in chat.

_Dream joined the game_

"Tommy?" Phil asked gently, coming into the room. "Tommy, are you okay?"

Tommy shook his head wordlessly. Dream was here, of course he wasn't okay.

Tubbo ran into the room. "Tommy? Tommy-" He rushed towards Tommy and hugged him. "It'll be okay! Who's to say he'll even see us, big man?"

"I-" Tommy forced down the lump in his throat. "Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Tubbs."

* * *

Ranboo had seen the message. He'd just kept walking.

It didn't bother him, no, not in the slightest.

Ranboo sighed. He really needed to find someone-

Wait. Was that a house?

He cautiously went forward. "Hello?" he called out.

Someone came out of the door. He looked oddly like Ghostbur, but this man wasn't transparent, didn't float slightly as he walked.

Ranboo drew in a sharp breath as he realized who the person in front of him was, had to be.

"Wilbur Soot," he whispered.Wilbur raised a hand in greeting. "That's me. Yeah, I'm alive, don't ask how because I don't know either."

"Wait, so..." Ranboo shifted slightly on his feet. "If you're Wilbur- and, uh, Ghostbur I guess- do you remember me?"

Wilbur smiled. He had Phil's smile. Ghostbur's smile had always felt off, tinged with a sorrow no one understood, not quite whole. "I do, in fact, remember you, Ranboo."

"Oh! Oh, good, I don't have to introduce myself then," Ranboo laughed nervously.

* * *

George stared at the man in front of him, knocked out cold and mask slightly askew.

It was Dream. It had to be, but he looked so much more vunerable, more _human_ , than he had for a long time.

It might be a death wish, George knew that, but he gently shook Dream's shoulders. Because this wasn't- didn't look like the Dream who'd manipulated Tommy and Tubbo, who'd been the bad guy. This looked like the Dream George knew, the one he'd built the community house with, the one he'd spent countless days and nights beside.

Dream shifted, then groaned, glanced up at George.

He looked surprised.

The mask was showing emotions again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK BITCHES!!! :crab:writer's block is gone:crab:  
> who knew...... writing a fanfic where wilbur kisses a salmon would get me out of that funk lmao. you should read that by the way it's slightly cursed but it has context eyes emoji

"Dream," George breathed, hardly believing what he was seeing. Dream was back. _His_ Dream was back.

There was something vunerable, scared, _soft_ in Dream's voice when he spoke next, and it very nearly made George weak in the knees. "George?"

"Dream, I- what _happened?_ Your mask, it's-"

"My mask?" Dream sounded- and looked, Ender, George had missed that adorable way the eyebrows of the mask quirked- confused. "Wait, you mean the expressions? They're- they're back?""

George nodded, lost for words.

And then Dream laughed, relieved and genuinely, and George realized completely how much he'd missed him, and George felt like crying.

"George," Dream grinned, his mask mirroring him, "George, I'm free."

* * *

Quackity had started flying to distract himself, honestly.

Tommy had become almost unresponsive, staying in his room most days, and his family- Wilbur, Techno, Fundy, Phil, and though he wasn't family by blood, Tubbo- had been occupied trying to help him.

Ranboo was anxious, anyone could see it. He was picking up blocks, forgetting to talk in Craft and simply making noises like- well, like an enderman.

Eret was somewhat alright. Significantly better than the others, but still visibly nervous- it made sense. Dream had been the one to give him power. To use her, essentially, as a political puppet.

And then there was Quackity himself. He hadn't had much firsthand experience with Dream, but he knew that, as the Admin, the masked man had invited Schlatt, who- well, he was an alright boss, and he'd never exactly paid much attention to Quackity, but he killed Tubbo in their own decorations. He'd exiled Tommy and Wilbur, taxed Niki to death... Schlatt wasn't a good person.

Though, not many of them were.

Quackity shook his head, spread his wings. He needed to practice more.

* * *

Schlatt woke up.

Schlatt didn't particularly want to wake up.

He'd been happy enough wherever the fuck he'd been after dying. Wilbur was there, at least, so he wasn't alone, and it was far easier to talk to his old friend than he'd expected.

_"So, Wilbur. How were things with Sally, before...?"_

_Wilbur laughed gently. It sounded forced. "She left."_

_Schlatt was quiet for a moment. "When?"_

_"During the revolution," Wilbur said, staring down at the ground. "I woke up one day, and she... wasn't there."_

Schlatt glanced around. This wasn't anywhere he recognized, but he never had explored much during his time on the SMP.

Though, he had an odd feeling that this wasn't the SMP at all.

He shrugged. Might as well have a look around.

* * *

Wilbur didn't know what to do.

Tommy was distressed, he could see that. One didn't live with someone for their entire life and not pick up on signals like that, especially such obvious ones- Tommy barely talked now, and when he did, it was quiet and polite, which anyone who had spent less than a minute around him would agree was odd.

But Wilbur didn't know what to _do_. He never had been much good at comforting people; when he was younger, he usually just laughed uncomfortably, and kept singing.

He was always singing back then.

_-dancing to nothing but the sounds of the town-_

No. Nope. Not the time.

_-they lay on the beach, side by side-_

Wilbur shook his head. He did not need to think about that right now.

_-she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen-_

_-danced, and he sang-_

_-her name was Sally-_

Wilbur felt tears pricking at his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> speedran this chapter dudu du du  
> look it's fluff!! with The Boys!!

Ranboo was nervous, he could admit that.

Scratch that. Actually, he was _terrified-_ of Dream, how he got out of the prison and ended up here, in this server.

But that was fine, he was fine.

Ranboo didn't tell anyone, but he was about the only person Tommy talked to most days. They were both scared ~~so _so_ scared~~ of Dream, and no one else really understood it. Because honestly, their trauma from Dream was somewhat a secret- for Ranboo, it was the fact that Dream had lived in his head rent-free and no one else knew, and for Tommy, it was the manipulation he'd been through in exile.

So Ranboo and Tommy talked. They talked about anything and everything, laughed and cried at times, comforted each other when they needed it.

It was nice.

And slowly, Ranboo helped Tommy start talking to the others again. Tommy wasn't back to the carefree boy he'd been before all this shit went down, and he never would be. But he was better than he had been. That counted for something.

Tommy admitted to Ranboo one evening that he was still scared. He knew Dream would probably find them sooner or later. But, he told Ranboo with a grin on his face, "I'm not alone anymore. He can't hurt me, Ranboo, and he can't hurt you either. Not anymore, because you know what?"

"What, Tommy?" Ranboo asked, smiling, feeling able for once to look someone in the eyes.

Tommy put a hand on Ranboo's shoulder. "We've got a family. A weird, huge, sometimes annoying one, but we have a family, and they're going to protect us."

Ranboo laughed. He cried a little bit. The relief was overwhelming, and he felt like a weight he didn't realize had been on his shoulders was lifted.

"Tomathy Careful Danger Innit," he said, "thank you."

Tommy pulled him into a hug.

* * *

Fundy sometimes wished he remembered the revolution better.

He had been born back then, to a woman named Sally. He didn't remember her well.

She'd left, Wilbur had told him, when the revolution and the fighting became too much for her. Fundy only somewhat believed the story, because it sounded a lot like Wilbur was trying not to tell him she was dead.

He wished he knew her.

...He could ask Wilbur.

Worth a shot. Wilbur really had been trying his best to be a good father, now that he had the chance, and he was doing alright.

So Fundy went to Wilbur's room in the (honestly massive) house, and knocked on the door.

"Fundy!" Wilbur seemed tired, but happy to see him. Fundy couldn't blame him. Tommy's predicament had given him some sleepless nights, and he was just Tommy's nephew. Being his brother had to be even harder.

"Dad," Fundy greeted, smiling. "How's Tommy?"

Wilbur opened the door farther to let Fundy in. "He's better, far better, actually. He's been talking to Ranboo, it's helped him a lot."

"That's great news!" Fundy walked into the room, finding a blanket tossed haphazardly on the floor to sit on. "So, uh, I had a question."

Wilbur shrugged. "Ask away."

"My- my mother," Fundy began, "what was she like?"

The blue in Wilbur's eyes shifted, the way it had for Ghostbur when he wasn't going to remember what happened next. For Wilbur, though, it generally just meant this particular memory was bittersweet.

It was a little while before Wilbur spoke. "...Your mother. Her name- her name was Sally. We met while she was dancing in the square, and my friend Schlatt told me to talk to her-"

"Wait," Fundy interrupted, " _Schlatt_ was your friend?"

Wilbur shrugged. "He was. He is, but... well, I haven't seen him since the Void." He cleared his throat and continued his story.

They stayed like that for hours, Wilbur telling stories about him and Sally, and Fundy listening, slowly realizing just how much he missed his mother.

When Fundy went back to his own room, he felt as if some deep, broken part of him had healed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guys what the Actual Fuck why do you all like this so much,,

Dream held George's hands in his own, his grip gentle in a way that made George feel something he couldn't name.

"George," Dream said, "I have never shown anyone what I'm about to show you."

George nodded, squeezed Dream's hands as a gesture of... something- reassurance, maybe?- and replied, "Okay."

And Dream undid the clasp on his mask, let it fall to the ground.

"George, you are the most incredible, beautiful, funny, sweet person I've ever met," Dream told him, never breaking eye contact, and George couldn't see the exact color of Dream's eyes but he could just _tell_ they were stunning, "and I am so sorry for everything."

"Dream..." George was dumbfounded. This was the _last_ thing he had expected.

"I am sorry for everything you had to see me do. But you have to understand something," Dream continued, and there was a pleading look in his eyes now, "you have to believe me. _That wasn't me._ "

George stared at him. "What? What do you mean?"

"There was this- this voice in my head, and it... it made me do things." Dream fidgeted with his sleeve. "I have some reason to believe it created the Egg, as well."

* * *

Wilbur sighed, staring at the sunset.

He lay on the beach, and _Ender_ , his heart ached that she wasn't beside him.

Sally was- had been- the love of his life.

And fuck, he missed her. He missed her so much.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Schlatt sitting down beside him.

"Schlatt?" he asked disbelievingly.

Schlatt smirked. "That's me. Hey, nice outfit."

Wilbur glanced down at his clothes. He hadn't paid much attention to them, but now he noticed he was wearing his trenchcoat over his old revolutionary outfit. An interesting combination. "I suppose." He glanced at Schlatt. "Yours is okay too."

"What? This outfit is _brilliant_ ," Schlatt retorted. "It's fashionable."

"You're literally wearing a suit. With the jacket missing." Wilbur squinted. "Actually, I think a part of it is caught on your horn-"

"Shut the fuck up, Will," Schlatt grumbled. He crossed his arms, laying down as well. "So how've things been?"

Wilbur shrugged. "They've been good. Definitely better than on the SMP."

Schlatt smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "That's good. I- I'm glad."

Wilbur didn't notice, continuing. "Things have been a lot better with Fundy. And Dad, I guess..." He laughed. "Ender, that server really messed everyone up, huh?"

Schlatt laughed too. "Oh, definitely."

They were silent for a while, just being in each other's company.

Schlatt broke the silence. He sounded a little nervous, which was uncommon for him. "...how's Tubbo been?"

Wilbur was surprised at the question. He didn't think Schlatt cared much about Tubbo at all. "He's been fine, but why do you ask?"

Schlatt took a deep breath. "...I'm his dad."

"You're fucking _what?_ "

Schlatt laughed humorlessly. "I'm his dad. He- well, he was born a little while after Tommy left, and you were busy with Sally, and I managed... I managed to care for him until he could care for himself. He must have found his way to the SMP, and by the time _I_ got there, he was so grown up I didn't recognize him."

Wilbur didn't know what to say.

"I won the presidency," Schlatt continued, "and I guess some part of me still knew him, because I put him in the cabinet. And then the festival happened, and he left Manburg, and when we saw each other in the caravan... I recognized him. I don't know, maybe that shocked my already damaged heart enough to kill me, but I never got to tell him. I never got to say sorry."

With a shock, Wilbur realized Schlatt was crying.

Wilbur scooted awkwardly closer to Schlatt. "Well, we've been trying to make a lot of new beginnings in this server. He's in that house, Schlatt. You should talk to him.

Schlatt wiped away his tears and nodded.


	12. interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> somethin a little different!! i wanted to write a poem so,, interlude time :D  
> dw it's a poem about the dsmp sgksgjfhjshkaghrgjdg

in the beginning,

it was simple, black and white.

and there were hardly any bad things,

in that perfect world of ours,

and that was when it all came crashing, tumbling, falling down.

because it started as a joke,

what we made there, but it grew

and it grew

and it grew,

because foolish, naive children we were,

we didn't know when to stop.

but we had a cause, and we may have been naive

but we were the stubbornest people i've ever met.

and so the song began,

the perfect symphony,

and it reached a beautiful crescendo as we won.

it was bittersweet, what we had to give up,

but back then it was worth it.

a new player entered the game,

a new chess piece. a king? a queen? a pawn?

he could have been any of them,

but i see no difference, no reason there should be one

because what he did next took us all by surprise.

and then we lost,

and everything started to lose its color to him,

and he saw no reason to let someone else finish his symphony.

and we won again,

and yet the symphony came to an abrupt end.

the instruments were gone, and the conductor dead.

but we pushed through,

for who are we if not stubborn?

and we began the symphony again.

but a sour note was played,

then another, and everything was faling down again,

and the symphony was finished,

and then-

in the beginning...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sally supremacy <3

Tubbo sat up in bed, yawning.

He'd had a great time cooking dinner with Tommy and Ranboo the day before, but it had tired him out quite a bit.

Nevertheless, he got up and ate breakfast, albeit slowly.

Tubbo heard a knock at the door. Someone new? It wasn't as if they had a lock.

"Hello?" they asked, opening the door.

Schlatt stood in front of him.

Tubbo felt a little sick. Their heart was racing.

Schlatt was here. Why the fuck was Schlatt here.

Schlatt awkwardly waved. "Uh... hi, Tubbo."

Tubbo gulped. "Hi, Schlatt?"

"Right, uh... first things first, I gotta apologize, kid." Schlatt fidgeted with his tie. "What I did at the festival... it wasn't okay. It wasn't right, and there were any number of better things I could have done, so I- I'm really fuckin' sorry."

Tubbo stared at him for a moment. Schlatt didn't look as if he was trying to trick them, and there was sincerity in the apology. "...Thank you. Do you want to come in?"

Schlatt nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Uh... there's somethin'else I need to tell you, but I can wait 'til you're ready to talk to me, okay?"

Tuboo smiled gratefully. "Sure. I'll get a cake or something for you while I, uh, calm down a little."

"Sounds good," Schlatt agreed.

* * *

Sally was a traveller at heart.

She had always been inclined towards exploring, scouting out uncharted lands, and today was no different.

Shapeshifters had... different rules. They were somewhat mobs, so they didn't have to be invited to servers, but they were also far more permanent than mobs, and certainly they qualified as players in the intelligence department.

But all of that meant Sally could go most anywhere she wished, and today that meant a new server. It was difficult to read the name, but eventually Sally managed it.

"Olive Branch SMP?" Sally read, squinting slightly. "Like... a peace offering? Huh. Interesting."

She shrugged, and took the step into this new world.

* * *

When she came to after the brief unconciousness that always preceded the entry to a new server, Sally was on a beach. A pretty one at that.

It was a little like the one she and Wilbur had spent endless summery days and star-filled nights.

She missed him. She missed him, though it'd been her who'd left, and her heart ached at the thought. What had she been _thinking_? Leaving her son and her lover behind so suddenly?

She should have stayed. But she hadn't, and going back to the Dream SMP now would be madness- not just because of her personal problems, but from the news she'd heard, things weren't pretty over there.

A voice shook her out of her thoughts.

" _Sally?_ "

She turned around, and Wilbur was standing there, shock evident on his face.

Sally stared at him, wide-eyed. "Wilbur?"

And then Wilbur did the thing she'd expected the least; he kissed her.

Then he pulled her into a hug. Sally could feel him sobbing silently.

"Sally, I- I- I missed you so much," he told her, hugging her tightly, as if he were afraid she'd disappear.

"Wilbur, my love," she said softly, stroking his back, "I missed you too."

Wilbur pulled away slightly, just enough to look her in the eyes, and his eyes were still as beautiful and blue- wait, blue?- as ever. "I'm- I can barely believe it, holy shit you're _back_."

Sally laughed, and she felt tears pricking at her eyes. "I'm back!" She paused, glancing at the ground. "But... Wilbur, I'm sorry. I should never have left you like that. It was sudden and stupid, and I just didn't want to see you fight every day, and-"

"Shh." Wilbur smiled. "Sally, it's okay. I understand why you'd do it." He pulled away from the hug completely, grabbing Sally's hand. "Now, let's go home. We have a lot to catch up on."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and with this chapter, this is officially the longest fic i've ever written!! in terms of chapters at least. and it's the longest fic i've written by myself in terms of words sthsjkdhdhfg

Tubbo walked over to the food chest, brushing their hair out of their eyes.

What could Schlatt possibly have to tell him? Apart from professional relations as Secretary of State and President, they hadn't even had much interaction.

He rummaged through the chest, looking for the cake he'd promised. _It'll be fine,_ Tubbo thought. _Surely it'll be fine._

When he found the cake, he took a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen.

Schlatt was fidgeting. He looked nervous, his ears flicking back and forth. He glanced up as Tubbo entered, seeming slightly relieved. "Oh, you're back. Hey, kid."

"That I am." Tubbo put the cake on the tabkle and sat down opposite Schlatt. "So, uh... what exactly was it you wanted to tell me?"

Schlatt tugged on his tie slightly. "Right. So, kid, you remember your dad, yeah?"

Tubbo shook their head. "Not very well. He gave me a bee plush, I think, and he was crying when he... when he left me. That's all I know."

Schlatt let out a breathy laugh, but he sounded... choked up. "Yeah, sounds about right."

"Why?" Tubbo asked, picking up a slice of the cake. "Do you know him?"

"Tubbo, I..." Schlatt looked at him with something like regret in his eyes. "I'm your dad."

Tubbo coughed, choking on his cake. "I'm sorry, _what_?"

Schlatt sighed, looking away. "You heard me."

Tubbo's mind was reeling from the revelation. "You're- I- but-" He faltered, glancing up at Schlatt. "...why did you leave me?"

"Tubbo..." Schlatt tugged at his tie again. "Ya gotta believe me, if there was any way for me to keep you, I would've taken it. But I was young, I was stupid, I was poor, I was scared, I had nothin' but the barest idea of how to keep a baby alive. So I waited 'til you were old enough to take care of yourself, I gave you the bee plush..."

"...and you left me right at Dream's doorstep," Tubbo finished, putting a hand to his small horns unconciously.

Schlatt winced. "Musta hurt like hell when they came through."

Tubbo nodded. "Oh, yeah. I was curled up in bed for _days,_ Tommy was so scared..." They chuckled, remembering how concerned Tommy had been. He acted tough, but he cared about his friends a lot.

* * *

Wilbur pulled Sally into the second floor of the house.

"He's so grown up, Sally, I can't wait for you to meet him," Wilbur told her excitedly. He was talking about Fundy- as soon as Sally had heard that he was living here, she demanded to meet him.

Sally smiled. "I can't wait to meet him, either."

Wilbur knocked on Fundy's bedroom door. "Fundy?" he called. "You have a visitor!"

Fundy opened up the door, confused. "A visitor? What do you mean-" As soon as he saw Sally, his expression changed to one of utter shock.

He glanced from Sally, to Wilbur, and back to Sally. A look of understanding passed over his face.

Very quietly, as if he was afraid to say it, Fundy whispered, "...Mom?"

Tears pricked Sally's eyes. " _Fundy_."

Wilbur could admit he'd cried a little. His family were finally reunited.

* * *

Bad sighed, staring at a blue sheep. "Well, looks like we found Friend and literally nothing else."

Skeppy snorted. "That's not Friend and you know it."

Bad shrugged. "Eh, might as well be."

Suddenly, they heard a distant voice shouting "Hello? Is anybody out there? Please, someone, anyone!"

Bad bolted upright in all of his 9'6 glory. "That's Sapnap."

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! hope you enjoyed :0
> 
> i might make more chapters if you guys want them!!


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